Sociology

At a time when lifestyle patterns and consumerism models are becoming increasingly influenced by the globalization patterns, the ability to facilitate maximization of positive effects while minimizing the negative outcomes is the key to addressing poverty.  Though analysts have often differed on the actual definition of the term poverty there appears to be a general consensus on the need to addressing it and related implications (Diana, 2008).  Owing to the current efforts to address poverty in the society, this paper uses the three sociological perspectives to intrinsic analyze the expected poverty changes in the next ten years. 

Brief statistics of global poverty
About 40 and 20 of the global population accounts for 5 and 75 of the global income respectively (Anup, 2009).  Besides, about half of the world population lives on less than US  2.50 day with 80 living in regions where income difference is rapidly increasing. Anup (2009) adds that about 1.1 billion people in developing countries lack adequate access to clean water with about 1.4 million succumbing to death each year from poor sanitation.  With developing countries of Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa holding the poorest people, addressing poverty is no doubt a critical aspect in making the globe a better place for all.

Conflict perspective
Conflict sociological perspective indicates that the societys is defined by the differences between various classes of people who are divided between bourgeois and proletarians.  Under this perspective, interaction in the society is considered to be competitive as different groups seek to control the limited resources and therefore resulting to social change (Linda, Knox and Schacht (2008).  As Karl Marx indicated in the perspective development, poverty is largely reflected at the lower social levels as greater profits and control goes to the bourgeois.  Modern conflict theorists indicate that even the business mangers could also be classified together with the bourgeois as they control the production process and earn high income that fits them in higher classes (Diana, 2008). 

Conflict perspective will continue defining the society and therefore making the fight against poverty to be relative.  Addressing poverty can therefore only succeed by intensifying the conflict between the bourgeois and the lower level workers (Linda et al, 2008).  However, is this achievable  By providing a highly controlled competition that is driven by education advancement and technological availability, the conflict shifts a step higher where proletarians have skills that can be employed to change their status globally.  Though this perspective appear to have taken a raw form as multinationals such as Nike and Coca Cola among others shift to developing countries to take advantage of the low cost of labor, application of policies, international standards and emphasis on human rights is creating a better platform for addressing poverty (Ballantine and Roberts, 2009).

Symbolic interactionist perspective
From a symbolic interactionist perspective, poverty is explained from the meanings used to define it.  Proponents of this perspective indicate that poverty have critical psychological dimensions with references such as voiceless, powerless, dependency, humiliation and even shame (Larry and Herman-Kinney, 2003).  While developed countries consider and weigh poverty on the basis of income, communities especially in the developing countries hold a different view.   Among the Dinka community in Ghana (the largest pastoral community in sub Sahara Africa), wealth is gauged on the number of cattle one has.  The community believes that cattle provide stronger ancestral linkage, creates stronger bonds with their God and facilitates continuity as they are able to pay bride prices (Rupasingha and Goetz, 2007).

From this perspective, human beings will continue acting towards what they consider to have greater meaning to them.  Notably, the meanings of the immediate things that people interact with will no doubt change in the near future due to expansion of trade which imposes the monetary viewpoint in gauging wealth. Besides, higher literacy levels create meanings in life and therefore generating a form of continued improvement with grater long term focus (Diana, 2008). 

Structural functionalist perspective
Structural functionalist perspective considers the society to be made of different norms, institution, traditions, and customs that lead to effective cohesion and operation as a whole.  Proponents of this perspective consider poverty to be part of the norm as people at the lower social level play the critical role of maintaining those at the higher social economic levels (Holmwood, 2005).  From this structure, people at the lower levels therefore have minimal possibilities for shifting or moving out of their poverty status as their role is supporting the structure at the base (low social economic level).  However, people appear are shifting with time to upper social economic levels with better education and expansion of trade. 

In their argument, Green and Hulme (2005) explain that education provides people at all levels of the society with the critical skills which enable them to work and earn higher pay.  Besides, increasing trade opportunities with globalization further derives a new model of promoting the levels of income for the local communities to address poverty even fester.  With governments support in addressing poverty, the structure advocated by this perspective will play a minimal role and therefore cannot best explain the expected poverty changes in the next ten years. 

Conflict perspective best explains the societal change
From the above discussion, conflict perspective best explains the societal change because it derives the critical nature of the resources and the demand for their control.  In their conclusion, Gree and Hulme (2005) agree with Hunter (2004) view that it is only the competitive difference between those who have and those that have less which will create the greatest force for alleviating poverty.  Ballantine and Roberts (2009) further supports this consideration but explain that there is needed special control to avoid exploitation of the developing nations by the fast burgeoning industrialists and unfair trade practices. 

Notably, while symbolic interactionist perspective emphasis on communities definition of wealth and poverty and structural functionalist perspective on labeling groups and fixating their positions, they fail to acknowledge emerging lifestyle trends.  Gree and Hulme (2005) explain that due to fast globalization, increasing literacy levels and supportive administrative policies, peoples social-economic status are fast changing.  The two models cannot effectively be used to explain poverty changes as people have new definition of wealth while their psychological orientation are based on the view that with better education and supportive policies, it is possible to shift to the next social class status (Ballantine and Roberts, 2009 Diana, 2008).

Conclusion
From the above discussion, the demand to address poverty came out to be very critical in the society.  Conflict perspective came out as the best model to explain poverty changes in the next ten years as it derives the necessary force between the bourgeois and the proletarians for social change. However, there are needed effective legislations to support the shift and therefore avoid exploitation of the poor.